Thursday, June 12, 2008

I'm just going to say, first off, that I will never get back the hours upon hours Windows Vista has taken from me. And that includes blogs I have spent time on and finished, only to have Vista shut down Explorer when I go to submit. I am now determined to write them in Word. Hey, at least I'll get spellchecked.

I haven't been sleeping particularly well lately. First it was a screwed up schedule, then it was strange dreams, and now it's nightmares. Not the really terrible ones that wake me up in a cold sweat. More uncomfortable nightmares, with people and places in them that I really don't want to see or think about. I think I need to lay off the caffeine.

Another scary development is this talking to myself thing that I only noticed yesterday. I'm not sure if I'm talking to myself, the computer, the television, or what. But part of me apparently needs to kill the quiet in here, so I'm yammering away at inanimate objects. Plus I'm having complete conversations with my cat. Yesterday we talked about which clothes I should hang and which I should fold and put in the dresser. She's not much for hanging my polo shirts. And she helped with the laundry, too!

There were so many things I meant to get done yesterday, but never got to. I did make it to the grocery store, which was probably why I didn't come home and accomplish what I'd planned. Spend two hours in the grocery store, and that can happen. But I walked out with so many wonderful things!

When I opened the door to leave, the air was so thick I could almost chew on it. I know I've used that phrase to describe Michigan humidity, but I was so wrong. This must be some kind of Valley phenomenon, like all the moisture coming down between the mountains just sits there, this sweet, hot wet that you can't brush away. I could actually feel the weight of it pressing on me.

Being a winter loving girl, I sometimes forget there are things about summer that I just adore. Sure, my electric bill is sky high and I'm paying a fortune for a gallon of gas, but this spectacular season brings the most delicious produce. Last night, I put together a bowl of sweet strawberries, raspberries, and grapes, sliced some thin cuts of gourmet swiss, grabbed some almonds, and went to bed with it. *grin*

It amazes me how fast my week has filled up. Party, hiking, theatre, I have a lot planned over the next few days. Which is nice, because I was staring at a completely blank calendar, a depressing sight.

And once the dishwasher finishes with my coffee mug, I'll be ready to really start my day.

Today's lesson: There is a thrill in discovering seasons when you move from one place to another. You can learn something new each time you step out your front door.

I've been promising husband and friend's I'd write this blog so I didn't have to tell the stories over and over, but I kept flaking out. It's been an eventful couple of days, all on the amusing side.

First off, I need to find a new place to go hiking. I went to go hunt down those geocaches I missed last time I went up Betsy Bell, and got a bit of a surprise. Andrea had warned me jokingly that a lot of people use Betsy Bell park as a place to meet up with other people who aren't their spouses, but I didn't see anyone when I went up on Wednesday outside of a fat couple eating fried chicken on their lunch hour.

So I took off up the mountain, finding one of the tiny caches I'd missed, and headed to the top to get the last one. I got to the lookout, and there was a car parked empty along the road. So I kept going, as this is a pretty popular spot to hike and there are always vehicles around. But when I went toward the lookout, I could see a couple through the trees completely going at it! I turned around and hustled further along the trail to get away down the other side of the hill, only to encounter THREE MORE CARS with people actually in them. Doing exactly the same thing. I apparently need a less busy place to hike.

I went home, hung out with my cat, had some dinner, and settled in for some computer and TV time. But at around 10 PM, Ginger started to go nuts and a sound started to come from just outside the front door. I tried to look out the side windows to see what it was, but I couldn't find it, and the sound wouldn't stop. It was like the screech some very angry animal makes, and I was worried it was a bat (do they even actually make noise?) or a large mouse. There's also a nest of birds on my porch, and I thought it could be one of them. Then, of course, my mind went wild and started to wonder if it was someone making a noise so I'd walk out and they could club me and drag me away. So I called Andrea and woke her up (sorry!) and kept her on the phone while I opened the door and peeked out with my little flashlight.

It was a cricket. A tiny, loudmouth cricket. I was so embarassed and was laughing so hard, and Andrea was just glad I didn't call the cops because of a teeny little cricket freaking me out.

So that's my story. And other than that, it's pretty slow around here. I'm looking forward to Sunday and my paper and church. But it's too hot for this Michigan girl right now, so I'm hiding away in the central air.

My wrist is so sore, I'm only going to write this once. I usually write the blog, and then write Jere his own email, but not tonight. Ouchies.

Monday I went to the DAR picnic in the park. I made so much food, all very health conscious. Whole wheat pasta salad, potato salad made with canola mayo (DO NOT tell my grandma that), cucumber sandwiches, onion wraps on flaxseed lavash bread. And not so healthy,

snickerdoodles. Which means, Jere, you'll be getting some of those in your next package. I got to meet even more of the chapter, and we gathered after the picnic to listen to the Stonewall Brigade Band's first concert of the season. I fell asleep in the middle of the park, of course, and went home early. It was getting past my bedtime.

Tuesday and Wednesday have been my at home days. I needed to catch up on some sleep and clean my kitchen. My overly expensive chair was delivered Tuesday, and I put pictures in the new folder. Today I decided to go geocaching on Betsy Bell, which turned out to be tons of fun, even though I only found one of the three caches I was looking for. But you know what? I got three good hours of exercise, great photographs with the new camera, and the last bit of the good weather before the thunderstorm came.

My favorite part of the day was walking out the door and finding a care package from my husband! Two postcards from Germany, one cute little can of Chef Boyardee (he enables me from afar), and four t-shirts from the Hard Rock Kuwait. Side note: Ericka, you wanted Hard Rock Baghdad, right? Or was it Kuwait? I can't remember.

I also managed to hook up the wireless router today, so I'm writing this from my bed. And Miss Ginger says it's time to put the computer away, because she's trying to lay on it.

Today's lesson: Sometimes you have to hike to the top of a mountain to get the best view. Then again, the view halfway up doesn't suck, either.

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

I figure I'd better blog now, as tomorrow I do believe I'll be too plain busy to do it. And if I don't write about today while it's still fresh, I have the feeling I'll either forget things, or end up writing one of those huge blogs no one really likes to read.

This morning I went to church for the first time in goodness knows how long. I'll be honest, it still scares the bejesus out of me. I couldn't figure out what to wear, and when I finally did decide, I found a stain on the shirt. It's always hard to dress for the first visit to a new church, and now that I've been and seen what everyone else wears, I'll be fine. It will be nice to have someplace to wear the pretty dresses. As for the service, it was your run of the mill Methodist service. Everyone was very nice, and Andrea once again introduced me to a ton of new people. Plus I saw some I'd met at the party Saturday night.

I went with Andrea's family to brunch at the country club. Yes, roll your eyes, but screw you, I'm Miss Fancy Pants now. Delicious eggs benedict, and I love Andrea's kids, they're so sweet! I emailed Jere when I got home and told him about the party and church and brunch and the rest of the day's plans, and he said, "I thought you were just a simple country girl!" Yes, well, let the southern hoity toity training begin. I think he gets a kick out of all of it.

This afternoon I went to a charity auction for the Children's Art Network and got into a bidding war over an adirondack chair that one of the high schoolers had painted. It's absolutely gorgeous, with green and purple and blue all blended together with a huge orchid painted across the back. I wanted that chair. I NEEDED that chair.

Unfortunately, everyone else seemed to need the chair, too. I hadn't bid on anything else (except in the silent auction), and I think some people were a bit shocked at the teenage looking girl (yeah, that's me) who was ferociously outbidding them. I must commend myself for actually going to this event and getting involved, as it's something I'd never do.

And yes. I got the damn chair. Then it wouldn't fit in my car, so some nice man whose name I forgot will be delivering it to me. I'll put a picture up when it gets here.

Tomorrow I'm headed to a DAR picnic, and I have food to make tomorrow. Yeah, you try making picnic food without chicken or lunch meat. Cucumber sandwiches, shrimp salad, egg salad, potato salad. And snickerdoodles, because my recipe kicks ass.

My exhausted self is going to need a vacation. A nice relaxing one.

Today's lesson: Don't be afraid to reach out of your comfort zone for a good cause. Just be prepared to write a check if you find yourself paying way too much for a damn deck chair.

I guess the biggest thing is that I bought a camera. I've been needing a new one forever, as anyone who saw my sad ass pictures from Turkey can attest. There's no way I'm going to miss a perfect shot of Macchu Piccu because the sun was too bright and I wasn't holding still enough. I'll be having enough trouble breathing at high altitudes without trying to steady a camera.

When I was in Michigan, Ericka let me use her camera for Karalyn's graduation, and I was in love. I wanted one just like hers, but of course when she and I got online to look Friday, we couldn't find it. So she found one a step up for a good price at Circuit City (where I had a $40 off coupon, yay!). I went in expecting to buy a camera. Oh no. Apparently when you buy this camera, you need $400 worth of accessories. Actually, that was ok with me, as I got a great package deal, and Ericka said I got a lot for my money. Thank you, Ericka!

I got the monstrocity home, and tried to put it all together. Which led to my asking, "How am I going to operate this thing if I can't even get the strap on?" Eventually I figured out at least how to snap basic pictures. Now I'm pretty sure Ginger hates the camera, as she's the only subject around here I have to take photos of. This morning, when she woke me up before 6, I caught the cutest shot of her visiting with her outdoor friend.

Last night, I tried out my new camera at Andrea's city council victory party. It was, if absolutely nothing else, a conversation piece. That doesn't mean I didn't get some great shots, especially considering they were indoors, something my pathetic Kodak couldn't handle, but it's hard to walk around just snapping photos of a lot of people you don't know.

As for the party, it was a hit. She had it in a little shop downtown, and served tons of food, beer, and wine. Andrea introduced me to absolutely everyone, and I also got to soberly meet my favorite policeman. Barely recognized him LOL. I had a lovely time until I was blindsided by a migraine. Usually I have some warning, but I didn't feel this one coming, and was in agony by the time I drove home. It went away after I took my migraine meds, but wow. It's been awhile since it hit that hard.

I did happen to look very cute, and wish I'd taken a picture of myself. White capris, my new green shirt from Guess, white strappy heels, and all the perfect accessories. I even picked up some hot rollers from Walmart and went curly, but left them in too long and looked like frizzy poodle, so I pulled it up in a pony and it looked adorable. Today it's calmed down, and it's going to be a fantastic hair day.

Speaking of Walmart, I had some great luck there yesterday. I usually hate going, and had only planned to shop for things I couldn't get at Martin's. But I walked through the produce section and found not only were their blueberries, strawberries, grapes, and tomatoes on sale, they looked fantastic. I also sprung for shrimp and tilapia, proving this diet is in full swing. Since it was Saturday, it turned into a two hour trip, but I don't think I'll need anything but the basics for awhile.

Well, my paper is here, the coffee is brewed, and it's time to start the day. I have a couple of hours to clip coupons and finish some care packages before I head off to commune with the Methodists.

Today's lesson: If you put too much milk in your Cheerios, you end up having to chase them around the bowl. Those delicious little O's are hard buggers to catch!